By Yang Jianli February 26 at 6:38 PM Yang Jianli is founder and president of Initiatives for China. He was imprisoned in China from 2002 to 2007 for attempting to monitor labor unrest. On Feb. 15, Chinese human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang turned 42. It was the 951st day of his imprisonment – and he has had zero contact with the outside world for that entire time. Wang spent his 40th and 41st birthdays likewise incommunicado. Nor has he had any access to his lawyer, Yu Wensheng, who was recently himself detained and charged with “inciting subversion.” Nor was Wang able to be with his son and wife, the fearless Li Wenzu. They haven’t seen him since he was first detained in early August 2015. He could, in fact, already be dead, but his family is clinging to the hope...

By Yang Jianli 2/23/2018 Recently, a poster for Mercedes-Benz by the same-named German auto maker sparked a “public opinion” protest in China. Caving to pressure, on February 6, 2018, Daimler AG (of which Mercedes-Benz is a division) issued a public apology. Although China’s foreign ministry spokesperson did not explicitly state that the apology was made at the behest of Chinese authorities, nevertheless, he still declared in a victor’s tone: “Recognizing one’s mistakes and correcting them is the most basic principle of conduct.” Indeed, there is no need to speculate whether the Chinese government exerted direct pressure on Daimler AG. Under Beijing’s increasingly strict control, no large-scale online media story can develop in China without official permission. The so-called “pressure of public opinion” is, in fact, pressure applied by the Chinese government. I think the most surprising aspects of this...

Posted on Feb 23, 2018 in International Relations, News | Comments Off on Initiatives for China seeking support on letter to President Trump Calling to bring Castro Regime to an International Tribunal

Initiatives for China seeking support on letter to President Trump Calling to bring Castro Regime to an International Tribunal Attached is a letter addressed to President Trump calling on him to simply follow what is in the law…to bring the Castro Regime to an international tribunal for the massacre of February 24, 1996, when two US unarmed civilian planes were shot down over international air space, with the 4 Americans on board murdered. We need your help with your signature and that of those international human rights activists who are part of your network and who you can reach out to. The anniversary of the massacre is coming up on Saturday. We are very thankful and grateful for any and all help that you can give. Please send your response to Mr. Orlando...

Posted on Feb 19, 2018 in International Relations, Publications | Comments Off on Concluding Remarks at the Opening Session of 10th Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy

YANG Jianli It’s wonderful to see so many old and new friends here at the 10th Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy. I want to express my profound gratitude to Hillel and his terrific team for putting together just another important assembly of people’s voices in the week leading to the opening of the annual session of the United Nations Human Rights Council. The camaraderie, and the sharing of experiences and strategies at this Summit has always given me hope, even during the darkest days for human rights when too many eyes have adjusted the shadows that power and greed cast on the existence of our brothers and sisters around the world, and when what has been gained in principle, what has been recognized in fact, has been eroded by an acceptance that it is better to accommodate...

Rubio Warns of Beijing’s Growing Influence, Urges Florida Schools to Terminate Confucius Institute Agreements Feb 05, 2018 Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) today urged Miami Dade College, the University of North Florida, the University of South Florida, the University of West Florida, and Cypress Bay High School to terminate their agreements with Chinese government-run programs known as Confucius Institutes. In a letter sent to each Florida school, along with its board of trustees, Rubio warned of China’s growing foreign influence operations in the United States. The full text of the letters is below: Dear X: I write with regards to growing foreign influence operations of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in the United States, particularly in our academic institutions. There is mounting concern about the Chinese government’s increasingly aggressive attempts to use “Confucius Institutes” and other means to influence foreign academic institutions and critical...

Day IV Report The final day of the Conference began with the second part of Dr. Han’s presentation on the Global Magnitsky Act. In this session, he focused on the evidentiary requirements, emphasizing the high bar that must be satisfied, and the importance of using multiple sources and corroborating evidence. Dr. Han also provided useful guidance on evidence collection, risk assessment, and command responsibility. Click here to view conference closing ceremony footage. The day concluded with the adoption of a joint declaration of unity and an agreement to push for Global Magnitsky-type legislation in Australia, where the 13th Conference will be held. Two Australian participants, Ms. Kyinzom Dhongdue, Member of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile and Campaign Manager of the Australia Tibet Council, and Mr. Feng Haiguang, an Australia-based human rights activist, delivered closing remarks. Joint Statement The 12th InterEthnic/InterFaith...